Cleaner for tubes and the like



Janis, 1937- I G. J. LANGb llYHR ,8 1

CLEANER FOR TUBES AND THE LIKE Filed Dec. 27, 195a- Patented Jan. 26, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLEANER FOR- TUBES AND THE LIKE Application December 27, 1933, Serial No. 704,074 In Canada September 27, 1934 2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in cleaners for tubes and pipes such as are used in stills, boilers and the like. .The invention has for its particular object, the provision of a strong, durable and effective cleaning tool, involving a minimum number of parts, and especially adapted for use in cleaning the tubes of high pressure, high temperature operations, such as the cracking of oil.

The cleaner of the present invention belongs to the class in which rotating elements, carried by a support, are adapted to be brought into contact with the surface to be cleaned by centrifugal force. In prior tools of this kind it has been the practice to mount the cutters on an axis which is substantially parallel to the center line of the tool. In accordance with the present invention, an improved result is obtained by mounting the rotating elements, which are to cut the carbon, scale, or other residue, on shafts arranged at an angle to the center line of the tool, in such manner as to secure better contact with the residue to be removed. Preferably the cutters are barrel shaped.

A further advantage of the invention is the utilization of a drill head to precede the rotating cutters. Also, the number of parts is reduced to a substantial Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, read in connection with the accom panying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is aside elevation of a cleaner in the preferred form;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line II--II of Fig. 1;

Fig. 31s a diagrammatic perspective view showing the contact of the cutters with the tube wall; and i Fig. 4 is a side elevation of an alternative form of cutter in which the cleaning action is obtained by rotating disks.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 3, reference numeral l denotes the base of a cleaner head or body. The base is formed with shoulders 2, 3, and 4, in each of which there is a socket 5. This socket is rectangular in cross section and carries the square shank 5a. of a pin 6. On each of I these pins there is arranged a series of cutters l, mounted for free rotation, and preferably shaped so as to present a barrel-like contour when assembled. The cutters may be of the usual type, made of hard steel or other suitable material, or of any desired form.

A central coin or support I is secured to or formed integrally with the base i. A collar 9 encircles the column at its top. The pins 6 are arranged at an angle to this column as shown in Fig. l. A preferable way of mounting the pins is to provide them each with a round upper end In. The pins are extended through the collar 9, in which there are cup-shaped depressions H to receive the lower part of the rounded ends. A locking plate l2 fits over collar 9 and has depressions 93 to receive the upper part of the rounded ends, thus forming a ball-and-socket joint.

The assembly is held together by means of a drill head, the stem it of which is screw-threaded, passes through a central perforation in the locking plate l2 and collar t, and screws into column 8. Thedrill head is of any suitable form; as shown, it is of the conventional four blade type having hard steel blades id.

The tool is rotated in any suitable manner, as by means of a connection it secured to or formed integrally with the support, which is threaded at ll for engagement with a motor shaft.

Referring to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the socket 5 is somewhat larger than the end 511, of, the pin. This arrangement permits the pin to move outward under the influence of centrifugal force, so as to bring the cutter blades against the deposits on wall of the tube. It is desirable to interpose thrust washers, such as 3a, between the lower end of the cutter assembly and the shoulders 22, 3, and l.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 4, the general arrangement is the same as described above but the toothed cutters'are replaced by rotatable disks lB. These are mounted on collars 59 so as to form a spaced arrangement on the pin 20. The disks are preferable when relatively soft deposits are tobe removed from the tubes.

In operation of the cleaner described, torque on the motor is reduced because the area of contact with the tube is enlarged. This avoids vibration and shock. It is evident also that the cleaning is very effective due to the extensive area over which the cutters react against the carbon or other deposit in the tube. The cutting is not accomplished by violent impacts but by a sort of chipping action which is not destructive nor objectionablyabrasive to the wall of the tube being cleaned. This type of cleaner can be used safely in the costly alloy steel or chromium plated tubes of cracking coil installations and the like.

The foregoing description is merely illustrative and various changes and alternative arrangemeat-s may be made within the scope of the appended claims, in which it is my intention to claim all novelty inherent in the invention insofar as the prior art permits.

I claim:

1. A rotary tube cleaner, comprising an axially elongated body having radially projecting axially spaced shoulders facing each other, a ball-shaped socket opening through one of the shoulders, a non-circular recess in the opposing shoulder facing toward the socket and aligned therewith, and a cutter element mounted on a pin having a ballshaped head fitting in the socket and a rectangular end, non-rotatably fitting in the recess, the recess being of greater dimension in a radial direction than the end to permit of centrifugal movement of the end and of restricted dimension laterally to constitute a guide for the end.

2. A rotary tube cleaner having a leading end, comprising an axially elongated body having radially projecting axially spaced shoulders facing each other and united by a central column, one shoulder located at the leading end of the member having a ball-shaped socket depression, a locking plate fitted to the shoulder forming a complete ball-joint bearing, the opposing shoulder having a non-circular recess facing toward the socket, and cutter elements mounted for independent rotation on pins mounted in a tan gential plane parallel to the body axis and inclined about the radial plane common to said axis toward the leading end of the body, said pins having ball-shaped heads freely mounted in the balljoint bearing, the other end of the pin being formed with a non-circular end fitted in the recess, the recess being elongated in a radial direction to permit lateral play of the pin in a generally radial direction of the body and of restricted dimension laterally to constitute a guide for the pin.

GEORGE J. LANGMYHR. 

